If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

I have an old Dell Inspirion Laptop with 2 card slots. What is the best WiFi card for this? Once I have the card what do I need to connect to hot spots?
Thanks guys,

you can go to dell.com and match your laptop up with a card, my dell came with a card. or if you go to staples tell them what you have for a laptop they'll be able to tell you what you need, and you shouldn't need any special software other than what comes with the card. (even though i don't like staples they are quick and easy... but not always cheap) There is also Hannover Computer here in waterville behind the brooks the brooks pharmacy, and in front of the memorial park by the hannaford office and the big tree.

I have an old Dell Inspirion Laptop with 2 card slots. What is the best WiFi card for this? Once I have the card what do I need to connect to hot spots?
Thanks guys,

That's really all you need. You may still find an 802.11b card really cheap, which would be fine (11 MBPS vs. 54 MBPS for 802.11g) for Internet. I would check eBay. I'm partial to Linksys (a division of Cisco) myself, but D-Link or NetGear are OK too. If you want wireless at home, you will also need a wireless router--Staples has a package deal--Linksys wireless router with matching 802.11g wireless laptop adapter. You may need to configure your firewall and/or Internet connections options, depending upon your current ISP.

I have an old Dell Inspirion Laptop with 2 card slots. What is the best WiFi card for this? Once I have the card what do I need to connect to hot spots?
Thanks guys,

I agree with what has been said about the cards, and as for connecting - what operating system do you have on your laptop?

Windows XP will detect a wireless hotspot automatically - and I usually use that. You wireless card also has software you can use. And you can also use the NetStumbler software mentioned elsewhere to detect all wireless nodes as they come in range.

I passsed through Farmington one time with the laptop on, and there was a CONSTANT "ding, ding, ding" from the computer as it detected wireless nodes. Most of those were encrypted - smart thing to do - but there were a lot that were not.

I run Windows XP on my laptop and home computer but I don't need the WiFi at home. I use GWI for an ISP and I am on dial up. Will I connect to GWI or through whoever has the WiFi? (Like VIP)

In Internet Explorer (or your browser of choice), you may have to check "Dial whenever a network connection is not present" instead of "Always dial my default connection" for the computer to use the wireless network you are connecting to, instead of trying to dial up GWI. (In Explorer, this is in Tools, Internet Options, Connections). If you're just using the XP firewall, you should be all set--if you're using another firewall, you may need to adjust the settings.

Do bear in mind that if you have file sharing turned on that other people on the same wireless connection could easily gain access to your files

Also, connecting to open access points (unless advertised as free) can land you in legal hot water, if you are very unlucky.

You can access email by going to www.gwi.net and pressing the "web mail" icon. This allows you to look at, downlad and delete messages remotely. When you get home, the messages are still there to down load into that computer if you want. This way, you can download big files using wifi (faster) and then delte them. You can also delete spam.